


Anew

by xxxshino



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Slaine deserved better, mentions of Asseylum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3646260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxshino/pseuds/xxxshino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for A/Z ending.</p><p>Slaine's hair has grown long, and Inaho offers to cut it for him.</p><p>They talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anew

**Author's Note:**

> Slaine with long hair and the necklace looked really hot ^qqq^ was meant to be a fluff fic but it turned out to be a rant fic regarding poor Slaine in S2. 
> 
> ps: Inaho with eyepatch +9999

'Orange' would visit his cell on a daily basis without fail. The chessboard he had initially brought with him has been left on the table since day one, pieces in their original position. While Slaine didn't explicitly show his keenness in playing chess with the brunet, he also had no reason to turn down the idea. Might as well go along with the flow, he figured. Life in a prison was suffocating; though less suffocating than before when he was unaware of Asseylum's concerns over his wellbeing. Despite all he has done to the princess, she was willing to forgive him. Slaine was glad his that his princess didn't change much. Though, even with her forgiving words, he would never forgive himself for what he did..

His train of thoughts was broken when the door opened, revealing a familiar face. It was Kaizuka Inaho again. 

"Good day. How are you feeling?" The boy muttered as he pulled out the chair to sit. 

"... As usual, I guess." Head hung low, Slaine mumbled. The guilt of injuring the boy's eye stirred up bad memories; thus the reluctance to look at the brunet directly. Despite the passing of time, he was still fidgety around the boy named Kaizuka Inaho. The atmosphere between the both of them has always been weird and stifling; it didn't help that both parties were not a fan of initiating conversations. 

The only thing breaking the silence of the room was the soft tapping of fingers on the table.

Then it stopped.

Slaine looked up, only to find that the brunet was walking towards him. 

"Wha-" 

"Your hair has certainly grown long." Inaho commented as if he was commenting about the weather. Ah yes, the skies. How Slaine longed to look at the outside world again. 

Leaning down and combing through the locks with his fingers, Inaho hummed distractedly. Embarrassed at the proximity, Slaine could feel his face heating up. He was somehow aware of his current hair length, but was never been the type to care much about it, let alone do something about it. Being a prisoner meant that these things were the last of the problems you would worry about. Subconsciously, Slaine reached up to his neck to feel for the hair length, only to have his hand grabbed by Inaho.

"I---"

"I will cut it for you. Follow me."

And with that, Slaine was dragged out of his room. 

'Really, can this guy stop interrupting whatever I have to say...'

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inaho had brought him to another room with a sink and a mirror. Along the way, he had managed to churn out a comb and a pair of scissors out of thin air. How, Slaine doesn't even want to wonder.

"Sit." Wary eyes fixed on Inaho, the grey haired boy took his seat. 

Removing his officer jacket and tying it around Slaine's neck to serve as a temporary barber gown, Inaho gently combed through the silvery-grey locks. Despite the natural curls and unkempt overall look, Slaine actually had hair that was smooth and silky. That, Inaho didn't expect. The shade of his hair was pretty too.

Both were silent as soon as the scissors started snipping.

Slaine was the first to break the silence. 

"... Why are you doing these."

The snipping stopped. 

"What do you mean by 'these'?" Inaho's hands were at work again.

"Visiting my cell everyday and now, this... I'm not worthy of your attention," a cynical laugh, "and should you really be hanging out with a prisoner of war like me, Kaizuka?"

"Inaho will do... Slaine." The name rolled off his tongue unnaturally. "I promised Asseylum that I would save you, and I'm not planning to go against my promise with her."

"Save? Huh, more like torture. What can I do when I'm confined behind these bars? Even if I was granted freedom, do you think I can lead a normal life? The whole world holds animosity against me." 

Inaho frowned. Those green orbs were filled with despair and sadness. 

The next line caught Inaho off guard.

"I'd... I'd rather you killed me." 

Trembling pale hands grabbed the scissors and thrust it towards his throat.

"I can't let you do that." Skilfully twisting the scissors away from Slaine's throat and flinging it out of his hands, Inaho grabbed the grey haired male by his shirt. 

Slaine was crying. Again. The brunet sighed in exasperation as he loosened his grip slightly.

"Indeed, you have sinned. You stole, you deceived, you killed." 

And then warm arms were around the crying male.

"...but you deserve better than this."

The dam broke.

The former Count was around his age, and though he displayed intelligence and maturity in his previous position, all the burden the boy had to shoulder was obviously too much for him to handle. The boy was still young. He would made mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes. Even Inaho himself. But that doesn't mean that people couldn't start anew. One's fate should never be cast in stone as long as they were still alive.

The boy in his arms had been reduced to mere sobbing and hiccuping, inhaling and exhaling in short breaths, hands clenching Inaho's shirt.

What Slaine needed was probably someone to affirm his existence, not forgiveness.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The haircut session continued after Slaine had calmed down considerably. Ears red and skin flushed, Inaho would like to think that he was embarrassed. And he didn't mind it at all, since it was pretty cute.

"We're done." Sweeping the excess hair away from Slaine's face, Inaho removed his jacket and allowed the grey haired boy to examine his new hairstyle. The chair creaked as Slaine stood up, bowing a little to Inaho.

"... Thanks."

The brunet simple nodded in acknowledgement, broom in one hand and broom pan in another. The door swished open as Inaho set the broom and broom pan beside the door, having swept the area.

"Let's head back to your cell then."

The lack of words exchanged irked Slaine to no end. He figured that he could get used to Inaho's presence.


End file.
